On July 14, representatives from the city of Mountain Brook met with Pleasant Grove Mayor Jerry Brasseale and other representatives from Pleasant Grove to determine how the cities can unite to aid Pleasant Grove in long-term restoration efforts in the wake of the April 27 tornado.

“Pleasant Grove was very receptive,” Mayor Terry Oden said. “Our main mission was to see what they needed and not just do something to do something.”

For now, the city will be raising money to help with Pleasant Grove’s long-term needs. “I hope that when we start the process that the people in Mountain Brook will be generous,” Oden said.

Donate at Western
For the months of October and February, Western Supermarkets in Mountain Brook will be accepting donations for Pleasant Grove restoration efforts when you check out at the register. This provides an easy way for you to make a contribution.

Schools helping schools
In addition to this meeting, Mountain Brook City Schools Superintendent Dicky Barlow joined with Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Phil Hammonds and Crestline Elementary School principal Laurie King to visit the schools in Pleasant Grove. They met with the principals and assistant principles at their elementary school, middle school and high school to let them know Mountain Brook and its students want to help Pleasant Grove students.

“We are trying to create a long-term relationship,” Barlow said.

None of the Pleasant Grove schools suffered damage to their buildings, but many of their students were affected. The school leaders discussed possibly planting trees in Pleasant Grove and having children from the schools be pen pals to encourage the elementary school students in Pleasant Grove.

“What we do really will be based on what they tell us they need,” Barlow said. “We hope when they begin to realize what their community needs are that they will contact us.”

City Hall brick sale
A portion of the proceeds from a customized brick sale will benefit the Pleasant Grove efforts. The bricks will to be placed around City Hall in the area where the fountain used to be. Bricks must be named in honor or memory of someone who has lived in Mountain Brook.

Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce intern James Cooper is heading up the brick campaign project, which he originally planned this spring with his group from Leadership Mountain Brook: Kendal Jaffe, Kathleen McKee, Robert Byrne and Caroline Bell.

The brick sale is scheduled to start in August and end in October. The goal is to sell at least 1,000 bricks.

They are currently determining the price and number of lines and characters that will be available on each brick. You can find updates on the campaign on www.welcometomountainbrook.com. Also on the website, you can print an order form online and send the completed form and a check to the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on any of the Pleasant Grove efforts, contact the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.

In all these efforts, Mountain Brook has high hopes for both cities. “We feel like we’ll gain as much if not more from this experience as they will,” Barlow said, “because there is something powerful in understanding the needs of others.”